Of course, the influential organization — though largely unknown in the United States despite its outsized importance in international affairs — has been calling for a world socialist regime since its founding in 1951. It claims to support “democratic” socialism while shunning the overtly totalitarian brand, which has become politically toxic in the wake of socialist regime’s gulags, mass murder, starvation, concentration camps, death, and unprecedented destruction.

Despite the public façade of support for “democracy,” however, its goals, as revealed in the resolutions adopted at the 24th Congress, are diametrically opposed to the principles of individual liberty outlined in the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. And the alliance includes some of the most influential political parties even in the West — especially in Europe, where many Socialist International members remain in power.

“As the continuing crisis evidences, the prevailing economic model needs to be adapted to current challenges. To do so we need a new Global Financial Architecture that will provide global institutions that can guarantee stability and risk management,” explains one of the resolutions adopted unanimously in Cape Town. “For members of our political family it is also about ensuring that our vision of a Global Welfare Statehood is guaranteed for present and future generations.”

To accomplish its broad objectives, Socialist International hopes to use existing multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, the South American Union, and various other organs of coercion. For the alliance, however, it is not just a matter of preference — a global socialist regime, in its view, is absolutely essential to achieving “peace” and “stability.”

“During this critical juncture for regional and world peace it is imperative that the role of the United Nations (UN) must be strengthened,” another resolution states even as scandals continue to make a mockery of the controversial global body, largely composed of totalitarian regimes. In its bid to empower the power-hungry planetary organization even further, Socialist International claims the UN Security Council — where the U.S. government has a veto — “requires” reforms, too.

So-called “sustainable development,” a term often used to advance the anti-free market agenda of global political control, appears to be one of Socialist International’s key tools, too. “A commitment to multilateralism is a prerequisite in order to effectively face challenges to global stability and sustainable development,” another resolution states in one of the many attacks on national sovereignty and individual liberty. Socialist International has been a key player advancing and shaping the UN agenda.

However, despite the stunning implosion of UN theories about “global warming,” sustainability and “climate change” were among the top justifications offered by Socialist International for the creation of a global socialist government. “Multilateralism is crucial to achieving a sustainable future for the planet, and is of particular importance in relation to climate change,” the resolution states, citing a “long tradition of the efforts of the Socialist International to promote and ensure equality, economic opportunity, social justice and sustainable development.”

“Our movement must find ways to restore this belief that the solution is to be found through the UN process, which will require all nations, in both the developed and developing world to make sacrifices,” it claims in the resolution, citing “future generations.” The document also called for “cooperation within the framework of regional and international institutions, to allow an effective system of global governance.”

In addition to the largely discredited climate hysteria, the economic crisis — caused mostly by central planning undertaken by central banks and governments — was also cited as an excuse to build the sought-after global socialist super-state. Despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, Socialist International implausibly claims in a resolution that “the financial crisis was not caused by excessive government spending.”

Central banks did indeed play a key role, which Socialist International unsurprisingly failed to mention — central banks are one of the planks of the Communist Manifesto and are off limits to criticism among most socialists, especially insiders. But serious economists largely agree that wild government spending contributed, too.

Ignoring the true roots of the economic crisis — socialism and central planning — Socialist International’s resolution claims there is a “need to correct growing national and global inequality” using “progressive” policies. Among the measures touted in its resolution: “redistributing wealth” and even “a new global reserves system.” In other words, a planetary monetary system managed at the international level complete with a global socialist regime.

Also required are new “green banks,” the socialist political parties and leaders said in the resolutions. More and higher taxes at all levels will also be needed, including a possible “Financial Transaction Tax” lambasted by economists as a half-baked scheme that could even destroy the global economy. More regulation, of course, should also be adopted at the global level — apparently the unimaginably vast numbers of regulations that already exist were not enough.

Like the communist movement, Socialist International claims all of its supposed remedies will have to be implemented at the international and regional levels. No nation can be left out. The alliance admitted that otherwise, national governments attempting such policies on their own would risk being “crushed by markets and ratings agencies.” No explanation was offered as to why that might be.

Another favorite of socialists around the world is the creation of a global coercive apparatus to extract the maximum possible amount of wealth from citizens. In its resolutions, Socialist International spent considerable space demanding the creation of a planetary regime to smash countries that refuse to cooperate with its schemes.

“There is a pressing need to dismantle tax havens, close loopholes and create automatic tax record exchange systems,” one resolution claims. “Only under the auspices of a new Global Financial Architecture can this take place, one that significantly increases transparency and strengthens enforcement of the regulations.”

Bailouts and handouts from wealthier countries with freer markets to regimes ruling poorer nations that have been devastated by big government totalitarianism, meanwhile, must continue and expand, Socialist International declared. “It is essential that OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] countries honor and implement their development assistance commitments, in particular those to Least Developed Countries,” the resolution states without noting that many of the socialist political parties in attendance were largely responsible for the poverty in the first place.

No international socialist summit would be complete without the typical bashing of Israel. One of the resolutions touted the so-called “Arab Spring,” where Socialist International and its allies played a key role. The document then slammed Israel and its policies while calling for Palestinian statehood using 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Despite the fact that Israel’s Labor Party was a founding member of the socialist alliance, it chose to stay away from the 24th Congress. Instead, only the much smaller Meretz Party was there to defend the tiny nation among the hostile socialists in Cape Town. The result: the resolution blasting the Jewish state even called for a boycott of certain Israeli goods.

Language calling Israel an “apartheid” state reportedly almost made it into the final resolution, too. “We commit, as member parties, to actively work to secure such recognition and support for the admission of Palestine to the UN by our respective countries,” the resolution states, calling for “a complete end to settlement policies which constitute gross violation of international law, a serious obstacle to peace and amount to discrimination and segregation.”

Instead, South African President Jacob Zuma, who has admitted to being a Communist Party member and regularly sings songs advocating genocide against European-descent Afrikaners, was given a prime speaking slot to rail against “capitalism” and call for a “radical agenda.” Even the communist Chinese regime sent a representative to speak about the economic crisis.

Socialist International boasted after the Congress that it is now “stronger than ever before.” For supporters of liberty, peace, free markets, and national sovereignty, that is bad news. But as the centrally planned economic crisis seized upon by the alliance to justify its scheming continues to wreak havoc, opposition to socialism and internationalism is growing stronger.

The socialists may be better organized. The opposition may be naïve. The battle, however, is far from over.

Photo: South African president Jacob Zuma pauses as he delivers a speech during a Socialist International conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, Aug. 31, 2012: AP Images

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